Former News of the World (NoW) legal manager Tom Crone and the tabloid's former editor Colin Myler have called into question evidence given by News International chairman James Murdoch during Tuesday's (19 July) parliamentary committee hearing.

The pair issued a statement last night alleging that James Murdoch had been informed about emails indicating that phone-hacking at the newspaper spread further than royal editor Clive Goodman – despite his parliamentary evidence to the contrary.

In the hearing Murdoch responded to a question from Labour MP Tom Watson by stating that he was "not aware" at the time of the so-called "for Neville" email which suggested that phone-hacking was more widespread at the now-defunct Sunday newspaper.

However Myler and Crone have said they did inform Murdoch of the email before he authorised a  damages settlement paid to Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor in 2008.

The BBC has reported a statement from the pair saying: "Just by way of clarification relating to Tuesday's CMS select committee hearing, we would like to point out that James Murdoch's recollection of what he was told when agreeing to settle the Gordon Taylor litigation was mistaken.

"In fact we did inform him of the email which had been produced to us by Gordon Taylor's lawyers."

Following Crone and Myler's assertions, Murdoch has issued a statement insisting he stands by his evidenceto the select committee.

The news comes as it emerged that Linklaters has become the latest firm to win a role advising on the matter, with the firm instructed to advise News Corp's management and standards committee on the hackgate clear-up. The mandate comes after the appointment of Lord Grabiner to chair the committee earlier this week.

Legal Week affiliate title The Am Law Daily reported yesterday (21 July) that US firm Debevoise & Plimpton has been hired by News Corp's independent directors to provide oversight of the MSC, the independent committee charged with leading the company's response to the wider hacking claims, alongside Washington DC litigator Mark Mendelsohn of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison.

For more see Harbottle set for Hackgate response